Improvement in animal-traps



JOHN OOSOLOWSKY, OF TITUSVILLE,PENNSYLVANIA.

Letters Patent No. 109,112, dated November 8, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT lN-'ANiMAL-TRAPS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part o the same.

To all whom 'it may concern B e it known that I, J ons GosoLowsKr, of litusville, in the county of Crawford and State of Iennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Animal-Traps; and I do hereby declare the followin gto be a full, clear, and eXact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing of the same whichv makes part of this speciication, and in which- Figure 1 represents a view in perspective of a trap, set ready for use, embracing my improvements.

Figure 2 represents a vertical section, showing the dead-fall in the position when tripped upon the animal.

My improvement is designed to kill the animal by the descent of a dead-fall; and consists in the arrangement of a t-hin elastic board, tripped by the weight ot' the animal, in connection with a vertical slotted guidebar, and a tripping-arm 'pivoted within said bar, so as to lock with an upper cross-bar of the frame when the dead-fall isset, and to pass into and be inclosed within said slot when the dead-fall descends.

In the accompanying drawing A A represents a box, open at its top, and provided with two standards, B B, on opposite sides, connected at their upper ends by a cross-bar, C.

A dead-fall, D, is arranged between the standards, having recesses, a, Within which said standards'fit, so as to hold it in place.

. A vertical slotted bar,`E, extends upward from the center of the dead-fall and'passes through an opening, b, in the cross-bar C, for the several purposes of guiding the dead-fall in its vertical movement, and'receiving a pivoted arm, F, in its slot a, so` that, while it may be entirely closed therein to permit the bar to rise and fall, as shownrin g. 2, it also allows it to project, at right angles therefrom, over and upon the cross-bar O, as shown infig. 1, to hold it up when set.

To the inside of the bottom ot' the box A a thin elastic board, G, is attached atvone end, so that itsother end is perfectly free. Its normal condition is to rest upon 'the bottom of the box, and when itsfree end is raised it must be against the resistauceof its elasticity. This is one of the features of my improve-L ment, and is for the purpose of e'ectng the tripping of the board 'oy-the slightest pressure thereon.

The free end of this elastic tripping-board extends through an opening, H, in the side of the box, and is provided witha transverse notch, c, on its upper side, into which the sharp edge of a small locking-piece, d, iits, having in its upper end a V-shaped notch, e, which is made to tit, when the trap is set against the upper edge of the opening H; andwhen so set, this locking-v piece cl maintains an inclined position with respect to the elastic. board and the frame. p

This locking-piece is connected by a cord, J, to the free end of the pivoted arm F ofthe central guidelbar, so that the least pressure by the animal upon the elastic board G will release the locking-piece d therefrom and fromthe box, and allow the dead-fall to drop and confine the rat within the box, so that,'if not killed, it cannot escape.

The rat may enter at the opening H, beneath the elasticboard, without tripping it, or over the sides of the box.

I am aware that a vertical falling-plate, provided with b ars, soas to inclose, when tripped, the animal within a box, has been used, and that said plate has been setviu position by means f a weighted pivoted arm, locked to the fra-me by an inclined tripping de- `vice, connected to-the plate by cords and pulleys; but this device can only be released to trip the falling plateI by the contact of the back of 'the animal against the under side of the weighted pivoted arm while burrowing in the earth.

Having described my invention,

I claim'- 1. The thin elastic tripping-.board G, arranged within and secured to the bottom of the box A, so that, when tripped, lit will descend and lie dat Vupon said bottom, in the manner herein shown and described.

. y2. In combination with a thin elastic trippingboard the dead-fall D, the locking-piecec, the guide-bar E,

and the pivoted tripping-.arm F, arranged and operating as described.

Witnessess JOHN COSOLOWSKY.

FRED. Buns, y

J. J. Homann.- 

